Shabbat

Dear Rabbi Simon I am teaching a Year 7 class about the festival of Shabbat. A question was asked relating to the use of Alexa. Can Alexa be used during this period to play music? Thank you Colin Dear Colin Thank you for your interesting and practical question. The consensus view is that use of voice-activated electronic devices like Alexa should…

Dear Rabbi Simon We just moved to a new apartment building and live on the 4th floor. The light is always on in the building, but on some floors when you go up the stairs the light becomes stronger as it detects your movement. So it’s not that the light was off and turns on, but it just gets stronger…

Dear Rabbi Simon What is your view of opening metal beverage cans (beer, soft drinks) on Shabbat? Sara Dear Sara I don’t do it, and we use only bottles of beer at Kesher, not cans, for this reason. However, there are posekim who allow this. Indeed, one can see beverage cans at some fine Shabbos tables. For those who are…

Dear Rabbi Simon Can one go to an amusement park on shabbat if they already paid for the ticket and are walking back and forth to the park? Thanks Sara Dear Sara, As a matter of principle, it is difficult to approve of attending an amusement park on Shabbat, as doing so is not in the keeping of the spirit…

Dear Rabbi Simon You recently mentioned that in times of need, eg hotel/hospitals etc, one can fulfil the mitzvah of nerot Shabbat (Shabbos candles) by making the berachah on electric lights. Can this be used at home where a person misses candle lighting time and therefore can’t strike a match – say a person oversleeps or forgets etc, can she…

Dear Rabbi Simon, I have a halachic question: I have a meat Teflon saucepan that by mistake I washed in a dairy dishwasher. Shall I toss it or keep it? Thank you. Suzy Dear Suzy There is no need to discard your saucepan. I would recommend kashering it by filling it near to the top with water then heating it…

Dear Rabbi Simon, My wife is temporarily living in Florida. Do I have to light Shabbos candles in New York if my wife lights in Florida? Ira Dear Ira Thank you for your practical question. The simple answer is yes, you should light in NY even though your wife is also lighting Shabbos candles where she is (in Florida). However,…